Unless otherwise stated, all images, content and recipes are original and are the sole property of Mary Foreman, DeepSouthDish.com. No photographs or other content may be used without prior written consent.

Privacy Disclosure

Any personal information you provide (e.g., name, email address, etc) will never be released to any entities outside Deep South Dish. As with most websites and blogs across the Internet, third party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on a user's prior visits to websites.

Affiliate Disclaimer

Deep South Dish is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to products at amazon.com. Your support is greatly appreciated - Thank You!

Food, family and memories are as intertwined in the South as if woven on the same thread. At any function we attend, from a party to a wedding to a funeral, we are as likely to talk as much about the food that was there, as we are about why we are gathered. ~Mary Foreman

I'm your cook, not your doctor. ~PAULA DEEN

I found out what the secret to life is: friends. Best friends. ~Ninny Threadgoode

Monday, June 29, 2009

All controversy aside on preferred ingredients for cornbread, in my mind there really is only one thing that truly sets southern cornbread apart. It must be cooked in a screaming hot, cast iron skillet.

Southern Skillet Cornbread

Skillet cornbread is a southern staple. Baked in a preheated, sizzling hot oiled cast iron skillet, it produces a beautiful crunchy crust on the bottom, and that is what makes it so unique. But cornbread in The South can certainly be cause for debate, that's for sure.

The truth is ... the real secrets that make authentic southern cornbread, is 1) using a good, stone-ground cornmeal, and 2) that crusty crunch on the outside that results from fat in the bottom of a screaming hot, cast iron skillet. Believe it or not, it's less about the recipe, or whether you use white or yellow cornmeal, flour, or sugar in your cornbread, and much more about the quality of the cornbread and the actual method itself.

Truth is, the majority of Southerners don't have access to a good stone-ground cornmeal, so they mostly use grocery store cornmeal, and believe me it makes a very big difference, so plenty of Southerners have been using a little bit of flour and even a pinch of sugar in their cornbread made from grocery store cornmeal since the beginning of cornbread in a skillet time. I know some other Southerners don't want to accept that, but from my personal research, it is true.

Flour adds body and corn just loves sugar and adding just a bit helps to take the edge off of that raw and harsh grocery store cornmeal flavor. The key there are the words "a little bit." What we down south call Yankee cornbread is heavy in both flour and sugar, making it very sweet and cake-like. Not a thing wrong with that, but it's not what we in the south call cornbread.

If you put just a bit of flour and/or sugar in your Southern cornbread, guess what? It certainly is still Southern cornbread. In fact, if you're from the part of the Deep South where I am from, you don't have easy access to stone-ground cornmeal or even white cornmeal, so you likely use a little flour, a pinch of sugar, and only yellow cornmeal - not white - so it's more of a regional thing really as to whether you use white or yellow cornmeal.

Since discovering stone-ground cornmeal, I use that and the recipe from my cookbook to make cornbread most of the time now, and the recipe formula is definitely different. There are no mills in the deep south however, so I do have to buy my stone ground cornmeal online. Since discovering this amazing cornmeal, I have ordered from several sources, but I found one sold through The Smoky Mountain Association and have been buying it from them the past few years. It's a high quality cornmeal, but also the sales through their store help the park. They have two mills in the park they use, Cable Mill and Mingus Mill, the latter still using the original stones from when it was built in 1886. Keep in mind that stone ground cornmeal must be stored in the freezer or fridge however.

So let's put that silly argument to rest until somebody can pull me out a "Southern Cornbread Bible" written by the hand of God himself that says otherwise, and remember that it's just food and cooking, and your way is always the right way when it comes to your kitchen. So let's just get cooking, shall we?

The recipe I use the most since discovering stone ground cornmeal is in my cookbook. It's totally different from the recipe here, but stone ground cornmeal makes a huge difference in both the flavor and the texture of the finished product. If you've only got grocery store cornmeal, use this recipe. The top recipe below, is a slight adaptation of the "Dixie Cornbread" recipe I found published in a 1977 Junior League cookbook called "A Taste of Georgia," and was contributed by Mrs. William F. Lee, Jr.

Yes. I have cookbooks from all over The South because I'm always on the lookout for old cookbooks at yard sales, estate sales and online to use as research when I write a new recipe. In case y'all haven't noticed, cookbooks have a very short life in the library, so you generally won't find any of the older ones there, and since I started blogging, I've come to find that there is no one, single South when it comes to many things, including cooking. Depending on what part of The South you are from, you likely cook something totally different from another part of The South. Folks in north Alabama cook far different from my region of the south and folks in Georgia or the Carolinas cook different from they do in Louisiana and Tennessee. I mean c'mon... we can't even agree on the pronunciation of the word pecan, because if you live in Georgia you probably say it totally different from how they say it in Texas and certainly from how we say it down here.

Oddly, even some Southerners still don't quite understand these regional differences and still think their way is the only right way and every other southerner is wrong. I still get told all the time that I'm not doing something "right" here on my own website. In all fairness though, I get it, because truth is, we Southerners don't usually venture all that far from that place where we were born. I guarantee the subject of any amount of sugar in cornbread, no matter how miniscule, will conjure up somebody quoting a famous Missourian, Mark Twain, who said "If God had meant for corn bread to have sugar in it, he'd have called it cake" quote. With all due respect, some would say that Missouri is more mid-western than southern, and, just like anybody else, it's really just one man's opinion.

Anyway....

Although this Dixie Cornbread does contain a small amount of flour, it adds body, and it is still a more classic version of southern cornbread - more dry with a more prevalent cornmeal texture and corn taste. It works best with grocery store cornmeal and I like it a lot, though the second recipe at the bottom that contains a little more flour and {gasp} a bit of sugar is also a favorite of mine. They are both equally delicious. For something a little different, try my Buttermilk Sour Cream Cornbread too sometime, including the Mexican version at the bottom of that recipe.

By the way... nobody's gonna take away your Southern card if you don't feel like fooling with preheating a cast iron skillet and trying to turn the cornbread out of it. It really is more than a little awkward to manage a screaming hot, heavy cast iron skillet, no doubt, and it doesn't get any easier to manage one, as you get older and suffer from things like arthritis. Just make it in an 8 x 8 inch baking pan if you like. I grease it down with Crisco so the cornbread gets that nice crust on the outside, then just add in the 1/4 cup of oil with the batter, pour it in and bake.

Kim said: I just used your [southern light] cornbread recipe, and I must say that is wonderful. It will replace the recipe that I've used for the last 20 years. Thanks so much!

For more of my favorite cornbread, bread, biscuits and roll recipes, visit my page on Pinterest!

If you make this or any of my recipes, I'd love to see your results! Just snap a photo and hashtag it #DeepSouthDish on social media or tag me @deepsouthdish on Instagram!

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Add the fat to a well seasoned 10-inch cast iron skillet and place the skillet into the oven to melt the fat and heat the skillet. In a bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Using mitts, carefully remove the skillet from the oven and swirl the hot fat around to coat the entire skillet.

Pour the fat from the skillet into the cornmeal mixture; stir. Stir in half of the buttermilk and add the egg; add more buttermilk as needed to make a thick but pourable batter. Depending on the grind of your cornmeal and the type of buttermilk you use, you may not need it all. Fold ingredients and don't beat the batter. Pour the cornmeal mixture into the hot skillet. Carefully place directly into the oven and bake at 450 degrees F for about 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the skillet from the oven, let rest for 5 minutes, then very carefully turn the cornbread out onto a plate or platter to preserve that nice crispy crust!

Cook's Notes: If your cast iron is not well seasoned, your cornbread may stick. Slice out of the skillet if you are unsure. Use a medium grind of cornmeal, not a fine grind. Don't beat the batter or your cornbread will be crumbly. If your baking soda is not fresh, you won't get much of a rise. For insurance I've added a teaspoon of baking powder. I store both my baking soda and my baking powder in the freezer. Can substitute milk for the buttermilk, you'll need less. Can also substitute 2 cups of self-rising cornmeal mix. Eliminate the baking soda and salt if you use a cornbread mix. I prefer White Lily brand, buttermilk, white cornbread mix.

Pan Version: If you prefer to make this in a pan, don't worry. Nobody is gonna take away your Southern card. Just grease an 8 x 8 inch baking dish with vegetable shortening. Mix all of the ingredients together and pour into pan. Bake as above.

For Corn Sticks: Melt 1/4 cup of Crisco (or bacon drippings) and mix that into the batter. For corn stick pans, I find cooking spray works the best. I use two of these 7 stick pans per recipe and usually have a little bit leftover, enough for 3 or 4 more sticks after the first 2 trays come out. Spray the corn stick pans generously with non-stick spray, then stick them in the oven while it preheats. For the corn sticks I find it easier to pipe the batter into the hot pans, so I scoop the batter into a zipper bag, cut off the tip and pipe it into the hot pans. It's just easier to work fast with those hot pans that way. I also reduce the heat slightly to 425 degrees F and bake for about 10 to 12 minutes or so until they are golden brown.

Another version that many southerners enjoy, including me, contains a little bit more flour and a bit of sugar. Gasp! Ssshh.... just don't tell nobody. I hope that you'll enjoy this recipe with just a touch of sweetness and a bit of flour for body.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a bowl, mix together the cornmeal, self rising flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, buttermilk and egg; don't beat. Set aside. Add the canola oil to an 8-inch cast iron skillet and place the skillet into the oven to melt the fat and heat the skillet. Using mitts, carefully remove the skillet from the oven and swirl the hot fat around to coat the entire skillet. Pour the fat into cornmeal mixture. For extra richness, add the melted butter. Gently blend in and pour the cornmeal mixture into the hot skillet. Carefully place into the oven and bake at 450 degrees for about 20 to 25 minutes.

Variations: Add one or two (4 ounce) cans of chopped green chilies, undrained. For bacon cornbread, cook several slices of bacon until crisp and crumbled into the batter along with the pan drippings.

Material Disclosure: Unless otherwise noted, you should assume that post links to the providers of goods and services mentioned, establish an affiliate relationship and/or other material connection and that I may be compensated when you purchase from a provider. You are never under any obligation to purchase anything when using my recipes and you should always perform due diligence before buying goods or services from anyone via the Internet or offline.

80 comments:

Looks like the way mama made hers. With just a pinch of sugar. She would get senior food commodities and they would include Jiffy Cornbread mix. Way too sweet so I'd make jalapeño corn bread out of it to help it not be as sweet.

A lot of folks do seem to love that Jiffy! I actually like a little sugar when I have to use store bought all purpose cornmeal too, but I've gotten spoiled by good stone ground cornmeal the past few years. You can't find it down here but I've been buying from the Smoky Mountain Park store - supports the park and all, but it's excellent cornmeal. Doesn't need a bit of sugar or even any flour - it's truly perfection.

Hi! I just made this cornbread for my cornbread dressing -- its been in for 25 mins and still isn't quite done in the middle. What are your suggestions. I used a pan instead of a skillet because we are moving in a few days and most of my things are packed already -- also it's browning in the middle so I put tinfoil over it -- help :) thanks!

You probably just needed to let it go a little bit longer. In a recipe, the time is always only a suggestion since all ovens cook different, some bake cooler, some bake hotter and older ovens don't hold the temperature as well as newer ones, so you can get some temperature fluctuations. Always bake cornbread on the center rack and make sure you don't open the oven until it's almost done to check it because that will make the oven lose heat and it will have to catch up. Those are a few things I can think of!

JIM-49 saidMary had to come by,and look at it to make my dressing for Christmas.Yes,this the second time,and I twist it alittle!! Have a Wonderful Christmas!!Oh Yes,new post,family would love,me make a good sandwich out of meat,and site as they eat it.I'm just not very much French,or Cajun.Looks Great though!!

Just seconds ago, I finished watching "Cook's Country - America's Test Kitchen" tv show on my local public television channel . . . and lo and behold they featured Authentic Southern Cornbread alongside chili. They followed your recipe almost exactly! I agree with you regarding the sugar and color of cornmeal: and the Southern cook on the show said the same thing about some of the 'myths' out there. I've seen so many cornbread recipe posts on blogs lately, so I need to get my act together and make some (and a batch of chili) during this cold spell! Roz

Do you use self-rising or plain cornmeal? For a while I was making pretty good cornbread with plain yellow cornmeal, but lately it just has not been "right" and I can't figure out what the difference is. Also,I've never used flour in my bread.

Hi Nanasboyz! I use plain ole regular cornmeal. I don't care for the texture of it all on its own though, so I do like to use a bit of flour for a softer texture - but not enough to make it cake like. I also like a little bit of sugar as you see to take away that harshness, but not too much!

Unless you've changed brands of cornmeal - and that can for sure make a difference - the only other thing I can think of is to maybe replace your baking powder with fresh?

Mary, thanks for the reply. Didn't mention the sugar, because it's not real southern cornbread without sugar! From your comment, I suspect my baking powder is the culprit. I did add some flour to the last skillet of bread I made and it helped, but I put too much in it, because I could taste the flour. Since all I had was plain flour I did add baking soda too. Even with the slight taste of the flour, it was better than what I have been making. Love this site!

Thank you!! You know, I'm not much of a baker - so my baking powder gets old before I use it up. I did start storing it in the freezer, which "seems" to help to give it more time before it's not fresh anymore. (Could be my imagination though LOL) If you do keep it in the freezer, it needs to come to room temperature before you use it though. I just measure out what I need and then let the measuring spoon sit on the counter to warm.

I cook mine just like my mama did, in her cast iron skillet which was her mama's cast iron skillet. Yes we add just a tablespoon or so of sugar and no unless you watched me make it you would never know. Only real difference in mine and your recipes are I use regular milk and I flip mine and brown both sides so the top and bottom or crusty. BTW just found your blog via facebook. Love it.Hugs from Tx

Hey Vikki! Flipping huh? Clever!! And I know a LOT of southerners who sneak in a little bit of sugar but never say so because of this old stigma. It just does not taste right to me without just a bit of sugar!!

Hi Pam, you didn't miss anything. Those little print buttons are added in manually and I have to go back and do the older recipes. Just hadn't done this one yet, but I have since fixed that! Hope you enjoy the recipe - let me know what you think. Thanks!

I am Southern. I just have to say that in my kitchen the cornmeal MUST be yellow. If one store is out I will drive to another. I think it makes a difference in the texture. As far as sugar, it depends what I am serving with the cornbread or how I am using it. I don't add sugar when I make cornbread for dressing, but I do when I use it to serve with chili. I am from one southern state and my hubby is from another. Guess what? Cooking varies within the southern states. People should get over it. It is all good. Love your blog!

Another really good way to fix your cornbread is to place a few strips of bacon in the bottom of your skillet and then add your cornbread mix. When you turn the bread out of the skillet, you have a nice topping of crunchy bacon.

Your recipe is the one I grew up with in Texas used by my mother and grandmother. When we moved to Tennessee, I observed some of the older women using self-rising flour, buttermilk and real mayonnaise. (No eggs or oil or salt or anything else.) I was amazed that it turned out just like my 'real' cornbread. LOL! There really are many ways to make it. (I never did get the recipe for the mayo cornbread though.)

I use butter in the pan, as I don't usually have bacon fat. Then, I just pour the batter into the melted butter. (even when I use Jiffy! - gasp!!!) But, I ALWAYS use my cast iron skillet. It's just a waste not to. Yes, I'm a true Cajun!

Try this way. White Lily Buttermilk Corn Meal ONLY!! Use your judgement on how much cornmeal to use. Grease your cast iron skillet with bacon grease, put cornmeal in bowl, use enough buttermilk to wet cornmeal, then finish with water to make a batter. Pour in COLD skillet, put in COLD oven, bake at 375 until it's as brown on top as you want it.

Well, Mary, I caught myself out of Jiffy cornbread! I thought I had 2 boxes, but they were other Jiffy products. So, I had to make my own, and of course, I added sugar. However, I added 2 Tablespoons (not teaspoons) and I could have added more, but I was exercising restraint! ;) I compared the taste of the dough versus what Jiffy's tastes like (yes, I know). Have a great day!

I was looking for a simple cornbread recipe that used only cornmeal, and your recipe baked up beautifully! I like a wee smidge of sugar myself (but never ever in my grits), but I couldn't find any (moving) and it's still yummy :)

Yeah, I'm not much for the sugar in grits myself Natalie, but I'm like you - I do think cornbread really needs just a pinch of sugar! I'm so glad that you enjoyed my recipe & thank you so much for taking the time to pop back by and leave a comment. I really do appreciate that! Best of luck with your move - I know how much of a life disruption that can be!

Buttermilk is a kind of "soured" milk where regular whole milk is a sweet milk. Buttermilk used to be what was left over after the hand churning process to make butter, though it is simply cultured from a low fat milk these days with goodies added in to achieve the same taste & texture. It adds a classic tang & a sort of buttery richness to cornbread, even though it is actually low fat. Regular, whole milk can be substituted in cornbread, and even soured with a bit of vinegar added to it, but I've never used evaporated milk in my corn bread. Evaporated milk is simply milk that has had a large percentage of the water removed, but it can be reconstituted by adding water back to it. That route may work better. Hope this helps!

The first recipe is an adaptation of a cookbook recipe I liked and only used 3 tablespoons of flour so I stuck with the all purpose as it called for. The second recipe is mine. I wanted it to be lighter - have more rise & texture - so I used self rising flour. Hope that helps!

Hi! It's just a more gentle method of mixing. With cornbread, if you overbeat the batter, it tends to get crumbly and fall apart. To fold ingredients in, just take a rubber spatula and gently slide it up under the ingredients, turning the bottom ingredients up over the top ingredients. Turn the bowl a quarter turn and keep repeating that fold until the ingredients are all blended in together. I hope that makes sense!!

Just wanted to tell you that I finally found the Slap Yo Mama spice at our WalMart. I got the 'hot' and I sprinkled a gob..probably about a teaspoon into this cornbread....and it was DIVINE!!!! Can't wait to try it in and on many things...we love it! So glad I found you on FB.

I love the controversy over sugar. I was a faithful reader of Lewis Grizzard's column and he was a firm believer that there was no place for sugar in cornbread. He said that "It is in the Bible, in the Book of Martha White". I always think of him when the "sugar topic" is mentioned. Personally I think just a bit of sugar does wonders.

I have made cornbread every which way and wonder. Its all GOOD. sugar does help. My grandmother put a pinch of sugar in her cornbread. A cast iron skillet is a must, and guess what, you do not have to heat it in the oven, I have heated the skillet right on top of the burner, then pour the mix in and popped in the heated oven. Works too.

Mary I love your recipes and thought I would add my cornbread recipe. I'm a transplant from the UK and married a southern boy so had to learn to bake cornbread. I put a stick of butter in my iron skillet, put it in the oven at 400 degrees. Then mix 2 cups of self raising corn meal mix with 2 eggs and 2 cups of buttermilk. When the oven beeps to let me know it is up to temperature I take the skillet out of the oven, pour 1/2 of the hot melted butter into the cornbread mix and quickly stir it in and pour it into the skillet and bake for 30 mins at 400 degrees. It comes out nice and brown and light.

A very lovely article. Certainly from the heart. I have some in the oven now. I had to sub milk for buttermilk but I also have cornmeal that is from the farmer's "select" plot. Not the stuff he sells to the mills. Its so sweet you can eat it by the teaspoon raw. Yes, that good. I picked it up from one of the farmers in Louisiana at a fair they have every year in Franklinton Parish. It came out simply divine.

MY CORNBREAD HAS BEEN SO BAD LATELY, CAN'T EVEN MAKE JIFFY, TOO SWEET, MAKING A BATCH OF YOURS AS WE SPEAK. MY WON'T RISE, OR JUST FALLS APART. USE MY SKILLET AS YOU STATE, BUT TERRIBLE.HOPE THIS WORKS AND CHANGES MYCORNBREAD LUCK.

Oh gosh, I hope so too!! Make sure you have fresh baking powder and shake the container. As far as the crumbling, just gently combine the ingredients but don't beat. Overbeating is usually the culprit behind crumbling so try to just kind of fold it in.

I loved reading this article. It's so funny about how people (including me) are very defensive about what the "right" way to cook cornbread is. I grew up in the Air Force, but both my parents' families were in Alabama. We always had good ol' southern cooking when we visited. One grandmother made sweet cornbread, the other didn't. We mostly had the unsweetened cornbread and to this day I will tell people "real Southern cornbread isn't sweet!". Of course, I know that it all depends on where you come from as to what you prefer. LOL - my father likes sweet cornbread because that's what he grew up eating, and so did my stepmother, so they always make it sweet. Me, not a chance in the world am I going to put sugar in mine. Oh, I also don't drink sweet tea anymore. Grew up on it, yes, but when my mother became a diabetic and started making unsweetened tea at home, I fell in love. I haven't had sweet tea in more than 40 years. Anyway, just wanted to tell you it was fun reading your article and comparing your recipe to mine. - thanks for that! :-)

My dad always insisted that cornbread and pineapple upside down cake be baked in a cast iron skillet. Being from St. Mary's County MD he considered himself a Southerner. I've followed in his foot steps and only do those in cast iron. I've added biscuits to the list of cast iron with nice results. My uncle said that cornbread didn't have sugar. He called sweet cornbread Johnny cake and was a poor man's dessert. Anyway, after finding this recipe I decided to try this with my chili and can smell it, so it's almost done. Will let you know how it is. Thanks, Tim from DC

I love biscuits in a cast iron skillet too! They get that lovely crunchy bottom but are tender on the inside - just wonderful!! I sure hope that you enjoyed the cornbread Tim & thanks for taking the time to stop by and comment!!

I would have to agree with that! I thought for sure we were getting close to chili weather last week with that nice cold spell, but the heat & humidity returned this week. The weatherman says cooler weather is on the horizon again - I sure hope he's right! This has been one hot summer in So. Mississippi.

Thank you for taking the time to come back and share that y'all enjoyed the cornbread - I really appreciate that!

Mary, I love the way you write. If your recipes are even half as good as your writing, I am in for a treat. I live in Northern Quebec, Canada, and it is -21C here today (feels like -31C with the wind chill). I think that calls for some cast iron skillet cornbread with some Southern chili!! Happy New Year 2015 :)

I'm home!!! I've never come across your site before, but my Mom was looking for a skillet cornbread recipe and found this one here. After she made it and I tasted it I asked "Where did you get this recipe from?" This is EXACTLY how Southern Cornbread should be!!! I came straight to your website and I am in love! So many of the Southern foods I want to cook but wasn't sure how. Here in my home of coastal Virginia we have such a mix of people from everywhere because of the military influence that good southern cooking is getting lost in this area and I have felt that I've been missing out on good Southern and Country cooking. But your site has brought me HOME! I can't wait to try out all the dishes you have on here. God Bless you!

This cornbread recipe is almost exactly like my mothers!!! I was raised on this and make it to this day now and again. I just found out about your site and will come back again to get some "really good" recipes...without having sugar in cornbread!!! ha! I am so glad to find a real deep south site!!! Thanks for going to the trouble to work on it!!!

Holy smokes this was good! I made your southern light variation and it was some good cornbread! This paired nicely with your rump roast, classic southern pinto beans and smothered potatoes we had last night for dinner! The crust was amazing and very easy to put together. I used white lily self rising flour and Pioneer brand cornmeal. I only used about 1 and 1/4th cups of buttermilk in mine. The sugar was a great addition for us. It just kinda played in the background. I will definitely be using this as my cornbread recipe from here on out. I can't wait to try this with your Grandma's Homemade Potato Soup this fall, if I can wait that long, love potato soup and cornbread and this is perfect! Thank you for sharing your recipe!

I have made this recipe in my small cast iron skillet twice. Each time, there is a spot of mush in the top center of the cornbread. The first time I thought I just didn't cook it enough. But tonight there was a nice brown crust, and the mush was underneath that. It looks like the uncooked mix. What am I doing wrong?!?

I bake lots of skillet cornbread using this recipe and haven't had that happen, so if there's mush in the middle, it's undercooked. If you know that it has had sufficient time to bake completely through, I'm leaning toward a defective cast iron skillet. What brand is it? Cast iron cooks very evenly so if the outside edges are done the center should be as done as the outside. Another issue could be that your oven temperature is wildly fluctuating and changing throughout the cooking process so you may think it's been at temperature for the right amount of time when it actually hasn't. If your oven is older that can be an issue. Before I replaced my oven I bought a cheap thermometer and found out that was the issue with mine. You could also have hot spots - areas of your oven that are hotter than others. Try rearranging your oven racks.This would make me crazy for sure! Have you made other skillet cornbread recipes and had the same issue? Borrow a good cast iron skillet from somebody and try it with a different skillet. It could very well that there was a defect when it was cast causing it to cook unevenly. Let me know if you figure it out!

I have no idea what brand it is- my great grandma gave it to me- she cooked with it for years. It has a 5 in the middle on the back of it, and a small 2 at the bottom. Don't know if this will help in identifying it... I will try a few other recipes and see if I have the same problem. I am wondering if I am using too much butter/oil and it is pooling in the center of the dough as it cooks...

If it's a pan from your great grandmother then I'm guessing it's not a defect in the skillet! That fat issue does sound like what might be causing the problem with the center not cooking through, because the fat should not be pooling up in the center like that. Add the fat to the skillet and put it into the oven to preheat. When you remove the skillet, swirl the fat around the pan to coat it well, and then pour off the excess fat into the cornmeal mix and stir it in, then add the buttermilk. Then immediately pour the batter into the hot skillet. The batter should sizzle and fat will pool around the edges, as it starts frying the batter. This is what forms the crust. Transfer the skillet back to the oven right away.

Maureen Blanchard has left a new comment on your post "Southern Skillet Cornbread":

Hi Mary, Just wanted to thank you for your delicious cornbread recipe. I had been searching for a good southern recipe! Even though I'm a northern girl.. I have made your Southern Skillet cornbread recipe about six or seven times, I cant get enough of it and my daughters love it too. soo delicious! The last time I made it I switched things up a bit & added a little honey, less than a tablespoon.... Really liked it that way!! probably making that way from now on.. Thanks again.

Maureen, I don't know where the original comment disappeared to - spam folder I guess - I'm so sorry, but I had this copy to paste in from my email.

I'm so glad you've enjoyed the recipe and added your own tweak - honey and cornbread is a great match!!

Hi Mary, I stumbled upon your website while searching for some simple southern recipes to add to my first family thanksgiving dinner for 12. The southern skillet buttermilk cornbread was a smash. My family thinks I am the cornbread whisperer. It was intimidating because I am (use to be) a Northern Jiffy girl. (Shame on me.)

I am waiting for my order of White Lily self-rising flour to arrive so that I can give the buttermilk biscuits a try. Can't wait. Thank you so very much for sharing your recipes. I also ordered your cookbook and will be trying other recipes, as well.

Thanks for taking the time to comment - I love hearing from readers and I read every single comment and try to respond to them right here on the site, so stop back by!

From time to time, anonymous restrictions and/or comment moderation may be activated due to comment spam. I also reserve the right to edit, delete or otherwise exercise total editorial discretion over any comments left on this blog. If your comment serves only to be snarky, mean-spirited or argumentative, it will be deleted. Please mind your manners.

Hey Y’all! Welcome to some good ole, down home southern cooking. Pull up a chair, grab some iced tea, and 'sit a bit' as we say down south. If this is your first time visiting Deep South Dish, you can sign up for FREE updates via EMAIL or RSS feed, or you can catch up with us on Facebook and Twitter too!

You don’t have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces – just good food from fresh ingredients. ~Julia Child

The classic southern plate for supper is made up of meat and three, cornbread or rolls & a tall glass of sweet iced tea.

Oftentimes what makes a recipe southern, is as much a state of mind as it is a matter of geography - Southerners simply decide a particular food is southern, and that's that." ~Rick McDaniel, Food Historian

Material Disclosure: This site is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program,
an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Unless otherwise noted, you should assume that post links to the providers of goods and services mentioned, establish an affiliate relationship and/or other material connection and that I may be compensated when you purchase from the provider. You are never under any obligation to purchase anything when using my recipes and you should always perform due diligence before buying goods or services from anyone via the Internet or offline.

DISCLAIMER: This is a recipe site intended for entertainment. By using this site and these recipes you agree that you do so at your own risk, that you are completely responsible for any liability associated with the use of any recipes obtained from this site, and that you fully and completely release Mary Foreman and Deep South Dish LLC and all parties associated with either entity, from any liability whatsoever from your use of this site and these recipes.

ALL CONTENT PROTECTED UNDER THE DIGITAL MILLENNIUM COPYRIGHT ACT. CONTENT THEFT, EITHER PRINT OR ELECTRONIC, IS A FEDERAL OFFENSE. Recipes may be printed ONLY for personal use and may not be transmitted, distributed, reposted, or published elsewhere, in print or by any electronic means. Seek explicit permission before using any content on this site, including partial excerpts, all of which require attribution linking back to specific posts on this site. I have, and will continue to act, on all violations.